Announcing Baruch Connects: Celebrating Diversity and Respectful Dialogue
To the Baruch Community,
In my Welcome to Fall 2024! faculty/staff and student messages, I made brief mention of a yearlong series of events that will celebrate our rich diversity and foster critical, meaningful dialogue across campus. Today, I am thrilled to officially announce Baruch Connects—an exciting initiative that embodies Baruch’s core values of collaboration and connection. This initiative will bring our community together to embrace the broad range of perspectives that make Baruch such a vibrant and dynamic institution.
Expanded Intercultural Celebrations
Baruch will proudly take the lead in celebrating the rich cultural heritages reflected in both CUNY’s newly recognized and long-standing holidays. Starting in January 2025, CUNY will officially add new holidays to the academic calendar—including Lunar New Year, Eid al-Fitr, and Diwali—and Baruch is excited to commemorate these alongside our already established celebrations. This fall, we’ll kick off on Thursday, Sept. 26, with a Rosh Hashanah Festival at Clivner=Field Plaza, continuing with our Diwali celebration in October. As we move into the spring semester, we will host vibrant campus events for Lunar New Year, Easter, and Eid al-Fitr.
These celebrations are designed to be student-centered and will be held in collaboration with our many student clubs. Additional dates and details will follow soon, so be sure to mark your calendars for what will surely be memorable and joyous events!
Respectful Dialogue Series: Finding a Better Way to Disagree
In addition to our cultural celebrations, I’m excited to introduce our Respectful Dialogue Series—a platform for open, respectful conversations that will span the entire academic year. We will host several weeklong capsule series exploring essential themes around dialogue and intellectual engagement. Here’s a preview of what’s to come:
- October: The Foundations of Civil Discourse
- February: Intellectual Pluralism and the Marketplace of Ideas
- April: Interfaith Dialogue and Understanding
These series will offer lectures, academic programming, student activities, and community festivals designed to:
- Foster a culture of respectful, open dialogue across campus
- Encourage all members of our community to embrace intellectual diversity and engage with differing perspectives
- Promote understanding and cooperation across religious, cultural, and ideological divides
- Equip everyone at Baruch with practical skills for effective communication and conflict resolution
Baruch Connects will extend even further with events and programming through each of our schools and academic units. This initiative reflects our deep commitment to creating an inclusive environment where ideas are freely exchanged and all voices are heard.
I am truly excited about this journey we’re embarking on together, and I look forward to seeing each of you at these events. This is a unique opportunity for us to connect, grow, and foster a deeper sense of community. I also welcome your feedback and ideas at BaruchConnects@baruch.cuny.edu.
Together, let’s make Baruch Connects a transformative experience for all of us!
Sincerely,
S. David Wu
President, Baruch College